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The Covenant Empire
The Covenant Empire, also referred to as The Covenant, was a theocratic hegemony made up of multiple alien species that maintained control over a large portion of the Orion Arm in the Milky Way galaxy . The Covenant was a political, military, and religious affiliation, originally a mutual alliance between the https://halo.wikia.com/wiki/San'Shyuum%7CSan'Shyuum and https://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Sangheili%7CSangheili following a brutal conflict between the two warring races. Its expansion to include at least six other races united in the worship of the Forerunners and the Halo Array soon began after the original formation. The Covenant waged a genocidal campaign against https://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Human%7Chumanity, until they were formally defeated due to many factors - the most crucial of which was an internal conflict that broke the Covenant in two, splintering the entire Sangheili species into separatist groups.Canon Fodder - "The resulting conflict would be called the Great Schism, and it would divide the Covenant into two, ultimately forcing the Sangheili out." Whilst the Covenant ended either during the https://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Flood%7CFlood infestation of High Charity or during the Battle of Installation 00, splinter groups of the former Covenant continue its efforts even after the conclusion of the war.Halo 3 - Assembly description Some of the ejected Sangheili sought to recreate the Covenant entirely under Sangheili rule, free of the https://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Hierarchs%7CHierarch's influence.Halo Waypoint: 'Canon Fodder' - Lore of the Rings - "Like the rest of the Sangheili, the surviving Councilors were not completely unified in their opinions on how to proceed following the Great Schism. While some did take up the Arbiter’s cause, many others had become enamored with the idea of bringing the Covenant empire under complete Sangheili rule, quickly scrambling to grab power wherever they could. Some of these eventually served under Jul ‘Mdama, while others consolidated small pockets of reclaimed Covenant assets under more independent factions."Halo: Glasslands, page 20 A splinter faction of Sangheili known as Jul 'Mdama's Covenant was created by Jul 'Mdama; this terrorist group is deemed hostile to Humanity, breaking the truce formed at the end of the initial war with the Sangheili Fleet of Retribution. Other hostile factions that utilize assets from the former Covenant include Vata 'Gajat's faction, Merg Vol's faction, and The Banished, which existed prior to the Great Schism.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhCnA4bH84g YouTube: Live at E3 2016 - Halo Wars 2: Behind the Scenes] Society The species that make up the hegemony known as the Covenant come from different parts of the galaxy and take all kinds of physical forms. The Covenant is organized into a caste system with their religious leaders - the San'Shyuum or Prophets - at the top of the hierarchical pyramid. The Covenant society is a single hegemonic culture. It is a culture that practices imperial geopolitical dominance through implied means of power as opposed to direct military force.Halo Encyclopedia - page 112bungie.net's Covenant Primer: The Best of the Bestiary There are three Covenant castes that make up the unity: the Religious caste, the Warrior caste, and the Worker caste. Government The two ruling species of the Covenant are the San'Shyuum and the Sangheili; though the San'Shyuum are generally believed to be "the voice of the Gods." The Covenant have ten echelons of government, the highest echelon being the Covenant High Council, who are responsible for holding legislative, executive, and judiciary powers. Composed of 200 members of Sangheili and San'Shyuum,Halo Encyclopedia - page 345Halo: Contact Harvest - page 271 the High Council is ruled by the three San'Shyuum https://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Hierarchs%7CHierarchs. These Hierarchs are the highest political and religious authority in the Covenant. For each new Age, three new Hierarchs are appointed; in order for them to usher in a new age and assume power, they must receive a blessing from the Oracle of High Charity.Halo Encyclopedia - page 119 This https://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Monitor%7COracle is a Forerunner Artificial intelligence found within the Dreadnought which sits at the centre of the capital. Until the events that led to the war against Humanity, the Oracle had not spoken for over a millennia, so the ascension of the Hierarchs is steeped with political bribes, blackmail and manipulation of the San'Shyuum Philologist. The High Council consists of San'Shyuum Councilors and Sangheili Councilors, who are extremely important to the Covenant society. They share the central theocratic and decision-making body of the Covenant. In addition to the High Council, there are three other Councils: the Council of Concordance, the Council of Deed and Doctrine and the Council of Masters. Below that numerous Ministries exist within the Covenant government, each of which fulfils a single but important role within the Governmental body of the Covenant. In truth however, the San'Shyuum and Sangheili have an uneasy coexistence, and political infighting is very common behind the scenes. Category:Halo Category:Halo Alliance Category:Enemy Faction